


paper rings

by adoluvr



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Bad Flirting, Family Issues, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slow Build, alternate universe: rei actually develops a good brotherly relationship with ritsu, artist! rei, kindergarten worker! kaoru
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29899209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adoluvr/pseuds/adoluvr
Summary: In a last-second sort of decision, he turns. “I-”“Hakaze Kaoru.”Rei blinks. “Huh?”The bo- Kaoru, blinks in return. “Oh? I thought we were introducing ourselves?”“Yeah, I-” Rei interrupts himself, and then shakes his head. “Thank you for taking care of my brother, Hakaze-kun.”“You can call me Kaoru,” he says, dopey smile back on his face as Rei pulls open the doors and stands on the edge of the hallway. “Ritsu-kun’s told me a lot about you, Sakuma-san. I’m glad you came for him.”
Relationships: Hakaze Kaoru/Sakuma Rei
Comments: 5
Kudos: 41





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> so. plot huh. Not beta read btw

“Now, I know you have your own dreams-”

“Mother.” Sakuma Rei, age 22, amateur artist, interrupts with a patient, gentle tone to his voice. “I’ll be alright. I’ve been alright  _ before,  _ needless for me to remind you of such.”

Mrs. Sakuma looks at him with an almost sad expression, brows furrowed and biting her lip in an attempt to keep herself from speaking all too much - speaking out everything she  _ wants  _ to say. Her arms are crossed over her chest, eyes flitting over repeatedly from the suitcases on the floor of the living room and her son, who’s standing in front of her with slumped shoulders and a tired smile.

“I know,” she says, more of a mumble than anything else. “But - you know, what about Ritsu?”

Rei flinches at this, but covers it up with a wave of his hand to avoid letting her notice. “Ritsu’s just a little kid.” He looks down at his feet, previously waving hand now moving up to rest at the back of his neck, scratching the skin lightly, nervously. “He’s never had a chance to be around me a lot, anyways, nor have I given him the chance to. He’ll live.”

“The least you could do, then,” his mother replies, stepping in front of him to place a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look at her with a sullen expression. “Is say goodbye to him, Rei. One last time.”

“He’s four, mother,” Rei says, a bitter laugh almost playing at his lips. “He doesn’t know the mortal significance of goodbyes. Also,” he adds, parroting her movements and placing one of his own hands on her shoulder as well. “It’s not as if I won’t come to visit.”

She seems to brighten up at this, if only a little. “Ah yes, my Rei-chan  _ is,  _ after all, a responsible adult now. Ever since he's come back from that God-awful place...” She musses his excruciatingly-styled hair, making him grumble mournfully about how  _ it took me ages to get that to stick,  _ and then pulls him into a hug.

Rei feels small arms snake around his waist and almost snorts. God, she’s really short. Or, God, he’s really grown. Patting his mother on the head as if their roles are reversed, he pulls away after a few minutes to kneel down and grab his suitcases. 

“Rei,” she calls, as he’s opening the door and hauling the bags out, one by one. “Can you do me  _ one  _ favor before you go?” She’s already hurrying back to her room as if she knows Rei can’t deny it, anyways, coming out with a little card in her hands and a box of...cookies?

Rei turns, and nods at her. “Sure.” He holds his hands out to grab the box from her, and then the card. Looking down at it, he sees a familiar picture of a sleepy-looking Ritsu. “Mother-”

“Just go pick him up, will you? I’ve got to clean up, you know?. By the way, the cookies are for you and your friends in Tokyo.”

"Thanks," Rei sighs. “And  _ sure _ ,” he repeats. 

-

Ritsu’s kindergarten is a 20 minute walk from the Sakuma residence. Rei pulls on the first black jacket he sees in his room, pushing the ID card in one of the many pockets as he closes the house door behind him, skipping down the steps and stopping in front of his bike. He’d gotten this as a gift from one of his friends an year - two? - ago, back when he’d been pompous and prone to delinquency. Yumenosaki Academy would not live up to its name without a few pompous, delinquent asses to drive its reputation, anyways. The bike - black and slick, doesn’t exactly spell delinquency more-so than it screams  _ rich,  _ but then his friends had been rich.

Rei wonders where they are now. Slinging a leg over it, he sits down on the seat comfortably while hunting for his phone in one of the pockets, pulling it out a minute later. He stares at it - hasn’t exactly gotten used to an iPhone after all these years - and then takes another minute to find his contacts list and scroll up to a contact that has a dog emoji in its name than an actual name. Vaguely, Rei thinks back to letting Ritsu name his contacts for him, and then grins to no one in particular.

He presses the given number, revving up the bike along. Pulling his feet up, he feels the vibration of the steam roaring before he feels it move, and at the same time the dial finally goes through - to a familiar, rock song he’s heard so many times before.

_ Melody In the Dark  _ has just reached its first few notes before it’s unfortunately interrupted, and a low growl graces his ears as he’s driving on the mostly empty road. 

_ “The hell d’ya want, vampire bastard?” _

“I thought we established that I’m  _ not  _ one of those sickly beasts,  _ Wanko,”  _ Rei responds, sweetly, as if the fact that he’s strictly driving on the side of a more tree-populated road to avoid the sun doesn’t play a role in whatever he’s said, “It’s nice to hear you after so long. How’s graduation treating you?” 

Oogami Koga, one of his many, many lovely juniors from Yumenosaki, scoffs on the other end of the line.

_ “First time I see ya give a shit. Ya didn’t even fuckin’ show up to mine and Adonis’s grad.” _

Rei turns left. The kindergarten’s just a little distance away - he has to keep his eyes peeled. “Mhm? I do remember - “ he barely swerves past a bird that’s decided to land on the middle of the road for no reason, “ - Hold on, I apologize, there seems to be a distra-”

Koga seems to put two and two together at the sort of speed his math teachers back in the accursed academy would’ve given their lives to see come to life in class,  _ “Oi, are ya drivin’?! Why are ya call-” _

There is a familiar building that's slowly coming up to his left, Koga's voice fading out as his attention diverts towards it. Rei blinks once, forgetting to say something in favor of stopping in front of the large, lowly populated gate with a terrible precision. Parking his bike against a tree and reaching for the small umbrella attached to the handle, he pops it open before returning back to his call.

“Ah, not anymore.” Pops it back closed, hangs it back where it belongs. It isn't that sunny, anyways.

_ “Holy shit, I was gonna call the fuckin’ police.” _

“Don’t worry,  _ wanko.  _ After all, vampires are immortal.”

_ “I thought ya said ya aren’t one?!” _

_ - _

Ritsu had been enrolled into SunFlowers kindergarten over a year ago, a few months before Rei had returned from England from his overseas travels. This had been due to two raised facts: one, that his mother had had to pick up more day side-jobs in order to keep the house running (she’d foregone telling her eldest son about their financial problems, and Rei hasn’t forgiven her for this even now), and two, that Ritsu needed a ‘sociable’ environment, anyways. 

Ritsu had never been the most outgoing kid. Crying at the sight of mere little things such as frogs, there had been numerous times in the few times Rei was around that his big brother had vaguely threatened these little things by waving his fists gently at them while holding Ritsu in one arm, if only to calm him down. Ritsu had liked that. He’d laugh, then, while Rei waved his fists around like a silly person. At frogs. He’d liked it, then.

Rei vaguely wonders if Ritsu’s still afraid of them. Frogs.

-

The kindergarten is nearly the same as Rei remembers it to be from the first time he’d seen it. That had been Ritsu’s 89th visit, and his mother’s 88th. 

Stepping inside the childishly decorated door, his eyes automatically turn to the playground. Ah, this had remained a constant, too. There’s some low swings, slides, all bright and colorful and the grass well-taken care of with how primary green it is, a few loitering children taking up every part of the area with their rubber ducks and toy cars and God knows what. Rei avoids these with the precision of a very under-trained ninja, automatic doors decorated with Hello Kitty stickers opening of their own will to let him in as he does.

The inner building almost makes the sun pale against it. It’s yellow all over, walls hung with little portraits and paintings obviously crafted by the meticulous hands of three and four-year olds, and in the expanse of the hallway next to the counter lay colorful doors with odd numbers sticking up on the top. Averting his eyes, he focuses on what he’s come for.

He digs in his pockets to get Ritsu’s card out, holding it towards the first lady he sees behind a very yellow check-in counter. “Hi. I’m Sakuma Ritsu’s older brother. I’m supposed to pick him up.”

The person behind the counter startles from where she’s half asleep over her papers, adjusting her glasses and tucking a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear before she looks up and squints at the card. “Oh, Ritsu-chan? He should be in 3-A, the first door on the right,” she says, pointing at the direction helpfully with a small, tired smile on her face.

Rei smiles back. “Thank you, little lady.”

Immediately flustered, she’s only left to nod at the nickname as Rei strides his way over to the affirmative direction, met with a pair of glass doors and a comically large painting of a cartoon fox giggling snarkily back at him. With a roll of his eyes, he pushes the doors, stepping in and cautiously glancing around for a familiar mop of black hair. 

What meets his eyes, instead, is dim lights and a huddle in the middle of the room.

A gentle figure, lying down on the ground, There’s a bunch of kids sticking onto him, thumbs in their mouths and eyes shut close, breathing in gently. The figure’s eyes are closed as well, dull blonde hair fanning out on the floor like some second-grade halo. The familiar mop of black hair is just under his shoulder, head placed on his chest comfortably.

Rei feels his heart clench. Wishing he could take a picture instead of the inevitable, he knocks softly against the glass pane he’s standing next to.

The figure’s eyes open, instantly. Dusty hues of brown, he looks up with a sleepy smile at Rei that almost sends the man running. Loosening a hand from a kid’s grip, he raises it to beckon him closer, and Rei finds his body obeying more quickly than he can make a conscious decision. 

Kneeling down on the soft flooring, his hands fumble awkwardly on his knees.

“Here to pick up someone? It’s break time, so I apologize for the sleeping beauties.” The boy in front of him says, voice nearly a whisper in an attempt to not wake up the rest. “I’m assuming it’s Ritsu-kun, hm?” 

“Lucky guess,” Rei replies, not sounding quite as suave as he’d hoped. Fuck. It’s not everyday he sees such a cute person around this small town, anyways. And it’s his  _ last, anyways. _

“Hmm. His bag is over there with the rest,” the blond says, pointing at a row of small school-bags at the corner of the room. “Ritsu-kun’s such a good boy, always doing his homework quicker than the rest, y’know? That’s why he doesn’t have any today.” Nudging Ritsu’s sleeping head with his hand, he gets out a few whines out of the child before sighing at Rei. “Sleeps real well, too.”

Rei lets out a little laugh. “Yeah, he sure does. Don’t worry, I’ll carry him.” 

The boy hums in affirmation, moving just slightly so Rei can reach out for his brother, looping his arms as gentle as possible around as he places him against his chest. Standing up quietly, he goes to pick up Ritsu’s bag and then to the door. 

In a last-second sort of decision, he turns. “I-”

“Hakaze Kaoru.”

Rei blinks. “Huh?”

The bo-  _ Kaoru _ , blinks in return. “Oh? I thought we were introducing ourselves?”

“Yeah, I-” Rei interrupts himself, and then shakes his head. “Thank you for taking care of my brother, Hakaze-kun.”

“You can call me Kaoru,” he says, dopey smile back on his face as Rei pulls open the doors and stands on the edge of the hallway. “Ritsu-kun’s told me a lot about you, Sakuma-san. I’m glad you came for him.”

"He...talks about me?"

Kaoru's smile is nearly infectious, the way it is. "Hey, if you want physical confirmation, I'll get you it somehow." He watches the black-haired boy try to formulate a coherent response for a few minutes before adding: "He also told me you're abandoning him. How cruel~"

"Not  _ abandoning _ " Rei tries, weakly. Ritsu's got talent for theatre, even at this age. 

"Don't worry, Sakuma-san," Kaoru laughs. "Children are a little...drastic, y'know?"

"All too well," Rei mumbles, like he's been there for Ritsu his entire life. Which he hasn't. "Could do with some tips, sometime."

"Might sound forward, but," Kaoru reaches into his apron with a free hand, pulling out an oddly cute, decorated card. "Here. For the tips,  _ exclusively _ . "

Rei walks forward and takes the card, quietly staring at it for a motherent before it clicks. "Oh, my. Is this your number, Kaoru-san? A little fast, don't you think?" 

"Business inquiries only," Kaoru says, sending another wink his way before he leans back on the ground again, eyes closing. "Thanks for coming, Sakuma-san. Close the door behind you, 'kay?" Waving unceremoniously, he resides back into his nap.

Rei feels flustered. He gets out another awkward smile before waving goodbye with his free hand and stepping lightly back, closing the glass doors behind him and nearly sprinting in the hallway on his way outside. The lady behind the counter looks at him with poorly-disguised concern as he runs out the automatic doors, the sleeping child in his arms unfazed by this reckless activity.

Holding Ritsu with one hand and setting the bag down on the bike’s seat, he pulls out the baby sling his mother never forgets to pack in case, adjusting him against his body as he turns it on. And forgets to move.

Ritsu talks about him?! Negatively, possibly! But to such a cute teacher? Ah, Rei almost feels bad about moving away, now. There’s three supposed hours on his clock before his plane departs for Tokyo and he has to leave this miserable little town behind, and it hits him that he can’t exactly risk his future for the cute blond he’d seen for like, five minutes. 

His mother would accept that, though. Happily.

Rei shakes his head.

There’s going to be cuter blondes in Tokyo, anyways. 

-

Ritsu doesn’t wake up the entire way. He’s more prone to naps than Rei has ever been, and it’s more of a blessing than anything else. One arm protectively around the baby sling, Rei slides off of his bike and grabs the bag with his free hand, opening the door to his house and stepping in. Kicking his sneakers off, he pads in and sets Ritsu down on the couch before skipping over to his mother’s room, gently knocking as a warning before he twists the knob.

She’s kneeling in front of a photo album. Her eyes come up to see Rei moving to kneel down beside her, signature red eyes looking down in the same direction she’d been looking at.

“You may need contacts,” she muses. “Else people might as well start calling you a demon.”

“Handsome demon,” Rei reiterates, winking. His mother laughs, slapping his back affectionately before getting up and stretching. 

“Right, right. Whatever you think.”

-

Rei dials the dog emoji, again.

_ “Didn’t get in an accident, yet? Unfortunate.” _

“Calm it with the dark humor,  _ wanko,”  _ Rei huffs. “I had Ritsu with me, you know?”

_ “Right. Whaddaya want  _ now _ , then?” _

“Adonis-kun and you have an apartment in Tokyo, right?”

_ “...Yeah. Why?” _

“Is it alright if I stay over for a few days?” Rei places the last of his suitcases in the taxi successfully, phone held up in the minimal space between his shoulder and ear. He slams the trunk down, finally shifting the phone in his hand as he opens the car door to slide into the passenger seat. “Before my things get settled in. I can just stay over at a nearby hotel, but-”

_ “No,”  _ Koga interrupts, irritably.  _ “Yer old ass can’t survive a hotel for shit. Adonis n’ I have a guest room.” _

Rei smiles, despite the fact that he’s just been called a hag. An eye for an eye, he supposes. “ _ Wanko _ is so dependable now. It makes this senior happy~”

_ “Fuck off.”  _ The line cuts. The driver gives him a pointed look.

Rei shrugs. 

-

The hour-long plane to Tokyo is nothing if not uneventful. Rei falls asleep in the first few minutes, and if promptly woken up with the blaring announcement of descension on the ground. Hazed in his sleep, he barely remembers to pick up his things before he comes out of the airport, two suitcases and a few bags slung on his shoulders in tow. 

The first thing he does is scan the place - there's hordes of people here for others, gifts and flowers in their hands. It almost makes him a little envious, before his eyes land onto something of his own. A familiar pair of people stand in front, leaning against a pole and looking into their phones. Rei starts to fast-walk in their direction with the energy of an excited seal.

“Adonis-kun! Koga!”

Koga looks up from his phone at a break-neck speed, eyes widening in an unconcealed happiness as he turns just for a motherent to grab Adonis’s hand in his, bounding towards Rei’s direction as quickly as humanly possible.

Dropping the bags on the ground, Rei opens his arms widely, unhinged laughing bursting out as the two crash into his body, Adonis’s strong hand around his waist the only thing keeping them up. Rei entangles his arms around their bodies, chin on the tops of their heads as he feels them squeeze him tightly. Even Adonis, taller and infinitely stronger, is reduced to something befit the idea of a junior. 

“Adonis-kuuuun,  _ Waaaankooo, _ ” Rei groans, as if he’s trying to hold tears back. “I realize that it has been a long time, but I do not -  _ oof,  _ desire to be suffocated~”

Adonis pulls away instantly, but his hand does not leave the sleeve of Rei’s jacket. Koga grumbles as he does, and then seems to regain his sense of surrounding and walks five steps away from Rei.

“Took ya long enough to visit, vampire bastard,” Koga says, still a bit ecstatic, if the small smile on his rough features is anything to go by. “An’ here I thought ya’d visit our graves or sumn, instead.”

“I believe I haven’t done anything to suggest that I’d be as morbid,” Rei grins, fingers lacing into Adonis’s as he lets him take upon half of the bags, taking on the other himself. Koga shoves his hands in his jeans pockets.

“Sakuma-senpai, I hope you’ve been well?” Adonis speaks, hand squeezing his affectionately. “Oogami and I have been very excited to show you our apartment.” He sounds confident, too, and Rei’s nearly tempted to pat him on the head in public.

“I’m better now that I’m here, Adonis-kun~” Rei sighs. “It warms this old man’s heart that someone  _ nice  _ helps along, you know?”

Adonis nods. Koga glares pointedly at the two of them.

-

Their apartment is, as expected, Moderate. Leon - their dog - is sleeping on his little, round bed in the corner of the living room.

It’s no elite penthouse, nor small spaces amalgamated into a single living room slash bedroom slash kitchen slash bathroom. It’s moderately spacious. There’s three rooms, and they’re moderately spacious. Hell, even the bathrooms are moderately spacious. Rei settles in the oddly-decorated guest room, Koga bringing his suitcases in and unceremoniously dumping them at a forgettable corner of the room before he’s grabbing Rei’s arm and dragging him out again without letting him process anything he well deserves to. Rei plays along, lets him drag his old bones out and onto the moderate couch.

Adonis walks over from behind a partition that looks more-or-less like a kitchen, a familiar can of tomato juice in his hands that he presents over to the guest, before sitting down next to him, expression expectant and concerned.

“Drink, Sakuma-senpai. You’ve travelled a long way.”

“Adonis-kun is always so considerate~,” Rei sings, fingernail going under and popping the can open. The first cold sip against his throat is utterly delectable, and Rei finds himself downing it quicker than he’d like as he vaguely registers a pair of hands on his shoulders from behind him.

“Sakuma-senpai,” Koga’s voice seems quieter now - but that’s because Rei’s only used to low  _ grumbling  _ and loud shouting. “What made ya come here?”

Rei hums. “I did tell you, Koga-kun. Bought a personal studio. It’s time, anyways.”

The silver-haired boy whistles appreciatively. “Jesus. How long did it take ya?”

Rei smiles. “Rude to ask,  _ wanko.  _ Shall I teach you some basic social etiquette, again?”

Koga’s features visibly distort in response. 

-

His mother’s call comes a few minutes later - he’d asked her to call him an hour or two after his flight landing time, and having her wait for over ten minutes for something is already a hassle in itself. For her to have restrained herself for over an hour and a half is a feat Rei makes the mental note to tease her about the moment they see each other again.

“Hey, mom,” Rei says, one of his suitcases open in front of him on the floor. Adonis looks up from where he’s helping him unfold his clothes to hang in the closet, and Rei glances at him with a wink. “Yes, the flight went safely. Yeah. Hey, wanna talk to one of my benefactors?” Putting the phone on speaker, he puts it on the floor in the middle of where they’re sitting opposite to each other.

Adonis blinks, before realizing what’s being prompted of him. “Ah. Hello, Mrs. Sakuma.”

_ “Oh? Is that Adonis-chan? Hi, Adonis-chan!” _

Flustered, Adonis repeats in a smaller voice: “Hello…”

_ “How are you doing?! It's been so long since I last saw you and Koga-chan! Come visit with Rei sometime, okay?” _

Flustered moreso, Adonis: “I’ll make sure of it, Mrs. Sakuma. I hope you are well, too.”

_ “Ever so caring, Adonis-chan! I’m great - I was just about to tell Rei here about how Ritsu’s been-” _

The call cuts, and the screen goes black. Rei stares down at it, and then back up at Adonis. And then back, as if expecting the phone to redial by itself. Or turn on by itself.

“Ah,” says Rei. as it hits him a minute later. “I forgot to charge it.”

-

If it feels disconcerting to be away from home again after only a few months of being there after the whole fiasco with England and the whole fiasco with ‘educational travelling’, Rei forgets to show it. Even to himself.

The clock on his phone reads 11:21 PM. There’s a few missed calls from when his mom undoubtedly called him while his phone was dead, and a few more text messages asking if he’s forgotten to charge his phone, brackets open  _ again?  _ brackets close. For all her worry, she’s always been on point with his minute struggles in handling a social device of such a top level in the rich-boy hierarchy as the iPhone.

Rei stares at it for a little longer, and is just about to turn his back and attempt to nod off into a nap before he hears the slow buildup of his ringtone penetrate the room’s silence. Turns back, wordlessly picking it up.

It’s his mom’s number, requesting for a video call. Rei sighs. Might as well say goodnight and ask about Ritsu. And sleep.

He quickly turns on a bedside lamp, shuffling towards it before he swipes right, accepting the video call. Quickly tries to find a good angle to show himself in, before he sees the chubby, small face that greets his eyes instead of the one he’d expected.

He feels himself break out in a snort. “Hi, Ritsu.”

“Anija stupid,” Ritsu retorts, in his best upset-4-year-old voice. “Anija didn’t come home.”

Rei nods, like the good big brother he so desperately needs to be. “You’re right, Ritsu. Anija’s stupid.”

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Ritsu keeps on going, relentess. “Anija is the worst.” He lets out a noise oddly akin to an extremely loud sniffle, and Rei sees his eyes start shining through the questionable video quality before he stumbles back on his own bed frantically.

“Hey, hey, Ritsu. Are you crying?” Rei whispers, “Don’t cry,  _ nooo _ . Stupid Anija’ll come back on the weekend, okay?  _ Okay?” _ He doesn’t know what to do. Not when he’s a city away and Ritsu’s on their mom’s phone - where’s his mom? _ Fuck? _

“A-Anija-” Ritsu stops to sniffle, again, “Always says that. You don't come home...”

As if on cue, Ritsu drops the phone then, bursting and crying loudly. Rei jumps off of his bed, pacing around his room as he tries to get him to calm down, attempting to be as reassuring as possible before he hears a pit-pattering of footsteps on the other end of the line, and then Ritsu’s being picked up, shushed. There’s some static, stumbling around, before the phone’s finally picked up again and his mother’s face comes into view.

“Hey, Rei,” she says, obviously tired. She’s stuffed a pacifier in his brother’s mouth, rubbing his back gently as far as the boy can see. “He’s been crying since he woke up, after our call got cut off.”

“I-” Rei looks down at his feet, and then sighs. “I’m sorry. I’ll make a schedule, rent a car for the weekends-”

“No, no,” his mother interrupts, “You have to settle down, don’t you? Don’t worry-”

_ “Weekends,” _ Rei says, decisively. "This isn't England, anymore. It's the least I can do."

She looks at him, biting her lip again. As she always does when she wants to say something more, yet is well aware it won't affect anything. Sighing in defeat, she nods and bids him a  _ goodnight, then,  _ before cutting the call.

Rei watches his phone's screen turn black. Falling back on the bed, his arms come up to cover his eyes. Shielding him from what?

The lamp doesn't offer any sort of comfort.

Rolling onto his side, he feels a crunch in his jacket. Hand reaching down instinctively, he pulls out the card Kaoru had given him, earlier in the day. 

Staring at it, it doesn't take him long to reach for his phone, again.

-

"Ritsu-kun, didn't you get any sleep?" Kaoru frowns, picking up the little boy in his arms and settling him down on his lap. Glancing into his bloodshot, crimson eyes, he turns his head around to look for his favorite bat toy before he feels him grab at his apron. Turning his eyes back, he sees Ritsu looking up at him, eyebrows furrowed together and droopy eyes looking far more droopy-er than normal.

"Kao-nii," he whines. "Anija left again."

Kaoru blinks. His memory flashes just for a minute, Sakuma Rei's smiling face popping in his mind instantly. Shaking his head more instinctively than anything, he starts rubbing circles on Ritsu's back. "Oh, Ritsu-kun...I'm so sorry. Do you know when he's coming back?"

Ritsu looks down, tiny hands clutching together on his knees. Shaking his head no, he looks like he's about to burst into tears, again, before deciding to hop off of Kaoru's lap to run towards the bat plushie at the corner of the room, clutching it in his arms instead.

If he's crying into it, he doesn't make a loud point out of it. Kaoru looks at him with a worried expression, debating on how to take care of the situation before he hears the glass-door open, one of his co-workers stepping in, and turns his eyes to their direction.

"Hakaze," Chiaki, his co-worker, grins cheerfully down at him from where he's standing, a number of bouncy balls tucked under his arm. "Take a break. Time for my shift!"

He offers his free hand, which Kaoru takes gratefully as he's lifted up from the ground. Stretching, he says, "Right on time, Moricchi. My lifesaver~"

Chiaki laughs boisterously. "You can depend on me, Hakaze! I bought some sodas early - they're in the break room if you want one." 

"Ooh~ I'll make sure to take advantage of the fact," Kaoru grins back, walking over to the door and waving at him before he closes it behind him. Hand reaching into his apron, he pulls out his phone - he'd barely gotten time to check it in the morning. Waking up late isn't a constant for him, and it had taken nothing if not sheer willpower to be able to dress and make arrangements under a given 10 minutes instead of choosing to stay at home.

Ah, anything's better than home.

Opening the door to the break room, the first thing he does is grab one of Chiaki's referenced soda cans from the coffee table, flopping down on the first sofa he sees. Turning on his phone, he waits for his notifications from last night to load.

A swarm of texts from older dates and scheduling dates later, Kaoru finds himself zeroing on one unknown number:  _ Hey, this is Rei. Ritsu's older brother? If you remember.  _ Time-check 12:03 AM.

Kaoru hums. Leaning back on the plush cushions, he takes a sip of his cola before setting it back on the table. Typing quickly,  _ And I thought Sakuma-san said I was the one going fast, hm? Sorry for the late reply~ _

Glancing at the time and affirming that he's due in another hour, he thinks about whether Sakuma Rei would be a fast texter, and his thoughts stray from this as quickly as they come, remembering the brand, expensive jacket he'd adorned the first time he saw him. He'd looked extraordinarily gloomy, dressed all black against the primary yellow walls of the kindergarten walls. According to Ritsu's timeline, he'd come home from "Ahn-Laan" a couple of months before. Maybe that explained the dark, brooding circles under his oddly jarring, crimson eyes. 

The reply comes quicker than he has the time to think more.  _ Kaoru-kun, are you always this flirtatious?  _

Kaoru blinks, and then scoffs loudly in the privacy of the break room.  _ I'm just being nice, you know?  _

It's a funny feeling.  _ If that's Kaoru-kun's idea of being nice, it may cause a lot of confusion~ _

Holding back his urge to scoff once more,  _ Yeah, yeah. Anyways, did you need something? _

Rei doesn't waste any time, with how quickly his responses come with each one Kaoru sends.  _ Yeah. How's Ritsu doing? _

_ He's fine.  _ Kaoru reaches out for his drink, takes another sip.  _ Could do better with you around, I think. He misses you. _

_ I guessed. Thank you for taking care of him in my stead, Kaoru-kun. I do not know how to repay you. _

Kaoru bites his lip.  _ You can repay me by being there for him.  _

"Hakaze!" A voice yells, interrupting him from the train of risky thoughts threatening to cloud his brain right after sending that last text. Whipping his head around in the direction of the voice, he sees a wide-eyed Chiaki staring at him from the door.

"We need you. This kid won't stop crying about you!"

Kaoru almost blanks out with how quickly he gets up, stumbling out of the door with his co-worker in tow. Nearly falling over, he pulls open 3-A's doors and skips over to kneel down towards a sniffling Ritsu as quickly as possible, wrapping his arms around his little body.

"Ritsu-kun?" He asks, concern lacing his voice all over. "What's wrong? Hey, did someone say something to you?"

Ritsu shakes his head, face buried in the bat plushie covered with wet tears and snot. Chiaki hands a tissue to him as he gently takes away the toy, rubbing at Ritsu's nose and then his eyes with another. He clings onto Kaoru, instead, burying his face into his chest as he nearly topples the older boy over onto the floor.

The other children have crowded behind Chiaki's legs. Looking at them with confused expressions on their own, Kaoru only barely notices them before he waves at them with a smile. "Hey, Ritsu-kun's okay. Don't worry, alright? Hiiro-kun," he adds, prompting a red-haired boy to come forward. "Could you start a game of pass-the-pillow with your friends? I'll give a little prize to whoever wins~"

Hiiro, blue eyes going wide at the name of a prize, nods vigorously. "Okay!" He yells, before running back to the kids to grab at their hands, and effectively distracting them away.

Watching them at play with a sigh, the blond turns back to the boy in his arms. "Ritsu-kun," he repeats, voice more or less a gentle whisper than anything else. "What happened?"

_ So much for saying he's fine. _

Shaking away the thought, he pulls Ritsu up, before his eyes land on his hands clutching onto the apron tightly - shit, did he somehow get hurt?

He's just about to point it out and ask before the kid points up at Chiaki. "Scary."

Kaoru blanks. So does Chiaki, from the way he goes rigid right next to him. "Pardon?"

"S….scary."

-

The studio set-up doesn't take long, given Adonis's tendency to be able to carry heavy cardboard boxes at any given time of day. 

Clicking the last few switches in place and watching the lights come on, Rei gets up from his place on the floor and smiles giddily at Adonis, who's standing next to the door with his arms at his sides, waiting for him to be done with all the patience in the world. "Thank you for your help, this old man wouldn't have been able to take care of things so quickly without you."

"Sakuma-senpai doesn't have to thank me," Adonis says, smiling. 

"No,  _ non _ , that's not the right attitude, you know?" Rei, having pulled on his boots successfully, comes up to pat Adonis appreciatively on the shoulder. "Since you've done me a favour, Adonis-kun." 

Adonis hums as a response. "You'll be travelling home, tonight?"

" _ Wanko's  _ gonna drive me home, yes," he sighs, remembering the bag he has yet to pack up at home. "You're gonna be alright, Adonis-kun? He might be staying, too. You should come along."

Adonis shakes his head. "It's alright. I invited Kanzaki a day prior, and he's going to spend the day with me tomorrow."

"Kanzaki?" Rei raises a brow. "Ah,  _ Souma _ Kanzaki?"

Adonis nods.

Rei whistles. "Wow, Adonis-kun. Got yourself a date behind our backs, have you?"

"Oogami is aware," he responds, smoothly. A grin on his face, he steps aside to let Rei pass him, out of the room.

"You  _ are  _ charming, after all. I believe it should not be a surprise," Rei says, passing through. Adonis only shrugs in response, modest as always, before he follows.

-

_ I'm back home for the weekend. Would that be enough payment? ;;___;; _

Kaoru stares at his phone, nearly rolling off of his bed in disbelief. At the emoji. Also, the response time to what he'd suggested. That was quick. Rei doesn't really look like the type to use emojis, does he?

_ No. Not really. I need you to prove it, Sakuma-san~ _

It's 12 AM. He wonders whether Rei'd just arrived back. Before he can spare another thought, another text - from a different contact - disrupts the silence.

_ Kaoru-chan, don't forget about the date tomorrow, kay? ♡ _

Kaoru doesn't spare a minute.  _ Course I won't, cutie. Sleep well~♡ _

He moves to bury his face in the pillows, sighing into the plush material loudly. The rest of the house is silent.


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving to Tokyo is somewhat of a release.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a

Ritsu looks happier. 

Kaoru notices this out of the corner of his eye as he's arranging the class toys in order for the children as he watches the normally introverted kid go straight up to _Amagi Hiiro_ of all people and prompt him to play. The redhead is all too happy about this development, taking Ritsu's hand and dragging him along to where the others are.

Kaoru smiles at this, taking out his phone to snap a picture to show Rei for whenever he comes to pick his brother up. 

The afternoon goes by a little noisier than usual, and no one seems to mind it. It isn't long before Chiaki has to gather up the kids and make them sit down in neat, little rows before starting a story-based lesson, and Kaoru finds himself skimming through _Bunbuku Chagama_ on his phone before it vibrates, and a text window pops up on the open PDF.

**sakuma-san** : _Would you mind if I come around a little early?_

Kaoru blinks. _Sure._

Not thinking about questioning why, he watches Chiaki get up from his spot on the floor on the opposite side of the room, obviously getting ready to herd the kids into sitting.

"Which story this time, Hakaze?" Chiaki asks, as he's arranging the pillows on the floor and gesturing over to the class to sit in rows. Hopping over to Kaoru as they do and sneaking a peak at his phone, he lets out an 'ahhh.' There's no doubt he's heard it before as an adolescent, as does each one in a small town composed of folklore for common horror stories and common horror stories composed of insects in the summer. 

"Wanna guess the moral?" Kaoru asks, slowing down on his scrolling as he notices Chiaki reading along. "I have no real clue."

"Hm," Chiaki responds by putting his hand on his chin, looking contemplative. "Shouldn't it be something along 'humans and animals should get along', or something?" 

"Makes sense," Kaoru agrees. He's just about to turn his phone off to drag over a chair in front of the (excitedly-talking-to-each-other) kids and begin before it vibrates, and his eyes flit over to the _new_ text notification instinctively.

**sakuma-san:** _on my way then ^__^_

An hour before due time...isn't that way too early? 

Kaoru shrugs. It's not like he can spare many thoughts towards this sort of a situation, anyways.

-

The perk of coming home to an angry little brother is the fact that he will, undoubtedly, scribble on your face with a permanent marker a little while after you attempt to go to sleep. And because this little brother has every possible right into doing that, you do not act on it even if you’re aware.

Sakuma Rei wakes up from a nap to ‘ANIJA BAD’ scribbled in red marker from last night, in caps - to make the obvious aggression known - on top of his forehead, and he stares at this and the little angry emoji next to the lettering with a contemplative look before stepping into the warm shower without a word.

Barely gets it out, too - he has to step out and get a handheld mirror from his room, bringing it in and behind the shower curtains to place it on top of the tap and bend over to squint in, looking for anything left from his furious scrubbing and subjecting it to the same torture.

His forehead turns red. If this is because of the ink, or the scrubbing, he does not know.

Ignoring it, he copes by throwing on a hoodie and trousers after he’s done showering, and then grabs the hair-dryer in his room, plugging it in the switch below his bedroom mirror. He’s just about to turn it on before he hears his phone vibrate on the table next to it, leaning in to read the notification.

**kaoru:** _Sure._

Nodding to no one in particular, Rei pushes the _on_ button.

-

They're in the middle of the story when there's a faint knock at the door. 

Kaoru sees Ritsu's expression lighting up for just a second before he turns around to look, and sure enough - it's Rei. All awkward smiles and awkward hand-waving, dressed too dark against the yellow wallpaper. The blond feels a small smile stretching on his own face before he realizes it, pursing his lips in a thin line instead as he watches Chiaki run over to answer him.

The glass door promptly opens, and Rei steps in with the grace of an eagle that's lost its way, stumbling on top of a toy in a record three seconds upon entry before Chiaki's swinging his arm around his waist in an oddly practiced ease and helping him back on his feet. 

"Thank y-" Rei stops to stare at his saviour, and Kaoru watches him visibly perk up. "Morisawa-kun?!"

Chiaki blinks. And then his own eyes widen. "Sakuma!" 

Looking back to see Ritsu squirming excitedly in his seat, Kaoru calls out, before anything else can further transpire: "Sakuma-san, Moricchi, go in a corner, 'kay? I don't want Anzu-chan to scold me for not doing what _we're_ supposed to be doing~" 

Chiaki sends back a sheepish, thankful look before he drags Rei by the sleeve to somewhere more quieter, though the children's curious gazes don't leave them throughout. 

Kaoru watches them settle, sitting on the floor and talking to each other in excited, hushed whispers and gestures. Diverting his attention back, he claps his hands. “So. Can anyone tell me what the raccoon-dog transforms into?”

The hollering children are all too happy to answer.

-

“So, get this,” Chiaki begins, all too goddamn giddy with the way he’s waving his hands around. Kaoru’s eyes flit over to where he still has an arm around Rei’s waist, despite the fact that they’re all sitting cross-legged on the floor. Ritsu’s been trying to get a small, toy train to stay still on top of Rei’s head ever since recess began. Hiiro, his new friend, pumps his fists in the air and yells encouragement. “Sakuma’s from my old academy, right? And this guy here _skips_ his last year of high-school and runs away to England. I thought he’d die there before coming back!”

“Morbid,” Rei says, raising his brows questionably. 

“Morbid,” Kaoru agrees, “Why England?”

“Work.” “Trauma!”

Their heads snap towards each other.

“What?” Rei inches away a little. “Morisawa-kun, what sort of an impression did I give you before leaving?”

Chiaki opens his mouth, and then closes it. And then opens it again. “Didn’t you sulk around a lot after Ei-”

“Okay,” Rei interrupts, smiling forcefully. “None of that.”

“Colour me confused,” Kaoru adds in, making his presence known. He watches Ritsu, who’s gone from the toy train to a larger, and perhaps a little heavier, toy truck. Rei’s head seems to be able to support it easily, and he wonders whether this may have been a regular thing for them. “Anyways, Sakuma-san, why’d you come early? Missed my good looks?”

“Exactly, Kaoru-kun,” Rei responds easily, sweetly. “You’d be ever so charming if you drop _my_ family name too, hm?”

“No can do,” Kaoru says cheerfully. “ _Professional_ relationships, you know?”

“God,” Chiaki interrupts, looking back and forth with a piqued interest. “Nothing about this seems professional.”

Ritsu, the angel, chooses to disrupt this moment before any of the concerned parties can get in a terrible complaint. Reaching over and placing his hand on Kaoru’s forehead, he says, “Kaoru-nii said Anija’s _handsome,_ too _.”_ And then he sticks his tongue out in disgust. The blond goes rigid for a second, before seemingly gaining his composure in a record five seconds and turning to a very interested Rei with a fretful expression.

“Is this why Kaoru-kun was so quick to give me his number?” He teases, as if they’ve known each other for a longer time than just cultural osmosis through his four-year-old brother. 

Chiaki whistles. Kaoru reaches over to smack him, and then turns to Rei. “Hey. He _asked!”_

“He did?” Rei says, blinking innocently, as if he’s not personally aware of Ritsu’s demonic ways. “But he’s just a kid, Kaoru-kun. Did you say that to humor him?”

Kaoru thinks over this, and immediately says, “Yeah. I’ve got a date, anyways, so~”

“Yeah,” Chiaki says, leaning over the black-haired man’s shoulder casually. “Hakaze’s quite the casano-”

“Enough,” Kaoru interrupts, before looking at his watch. “You’re free to take Ritsu home, by the way. The rest of the parents should be coming in to pick the kids up any second…”

“Hm. Yeah,” Rei sighs, turning to Ritsu. “Ritsu, grab your bag and say goodbye, ‘kay? Onii-chan just needs to talk a little more to his friends.” Nodding rapidly, he runs off to the play area, again.

“He likes you so much,” Kaoru points out, “So why ‘anija’?”

“Lifelong punishment,” Rei muses, as he watches the blond pull a clipboard out from the drawer behind him, beckoning Chiaki to grab a pen for him.

“I think you deserve it, _Rei_ -kun,” Kaoru grins. “It’s only necessary after having left him alone for as long as you did, meanie~” He watches Rei perk up at the name, opening his mouth and then closing it before he gets the chance to respond.

“Way to make me the third wheel,” Chiaki says, plopping down back on the floor in his original position as he steals the clipboard from Kaoru to mark the necessary attendance by himself. Kaoru feigns a hurt look at him, and it prompts a laugh out of Rei before Ritsu comes tumbling back and grabbing at him to pick him up.

“You’re only here for the weekend, huh?” Kaoru says, watching him get up. “Wanna hang out with us, tomorrow? There's some supposed music live at the amusement park, and it's a Sunday,” He winks, like the suggestion is the perkiest thing anyone could offer. “Lots of cute girls~”

“Yeah,” Rei smiles, “Except I’m not into girls. Any assurance there’s going to be _cute_ guys?”

Kaoru blinks, and then waves at him with a nervous laugh. “Sure~ it’s a park, after all~”

“Count me in,” the black-haired boy says, bending down to grab his brother and haul him up into his arms. “I’ll be counting on you to text me the time, Kaoru-kun. See you~”

“See you,” Kaoru calls back, weakly. 

A moment passes. Chiaki looks at a now disgruntled Kaoru, who slowly places his head onto the ground. One of the onlooking children walk forward, poking said head with a toy gun, as if making sure he’s still alive. “Hakaze, you’re scaring the kids.”

“God,” half-dead Kaoru says, voice muffled by the carpet. “I _flirted_ with him, Moricchi.”

“Yes, you did,” Chiaki affirms, unhelpfully. “Right in front of me. Several times.”

The blond lets out a noise that sounds weirdly not human. His brunet friend kneels down to pat him morosely. 

-

If Rei unconsciously ends up dressing up in one of his more regular casual outfits (a black coat, white shirt, some necklaces and rings to top it off), he blames it on the fact that he’s not had one un-busy weekend for a few months to be able to remember how to dress well, now. Koga’s thrown over a simple black tee and jeans, and is currently starting up his car and entertaining Ritsu on the front seat with one of his power-ranger shows on the mini-tv slash GPS on the deck. A familiar patter of steps graces his ears, and Rei turns around to his mother coming up to him with a small backpack in her hands.

“Snacks,” she says, cheerfully. 

“Mother, it’s an amusement park. There will be stalls.”

“And I’m _not_ going to allow my children to indulge in stupid, poisonous carnival food,” she insists, pushing the bag into his hands and then skipping away out of range. 

Rei thinks about tossing it back, for a second. Then he smiles, and opens the front door seat. “Thanks, mom. Take care while we’re gone.”

“Take care of Ritsu!” She yells, when Koga’s put the car into drive and is slowly rolling away from the house. Rei nods, making his brother wave at her with a big smile on his face before they finally get on the road.

“So,” Koga says, sparing one look at the little child that looks like he wants to destroy everything on deck with his touch, as does every other child with two twenty-year olds in a car. “Ya want me to sneakily buy ya candies?”

Ritsu nods vigorously. “”Puppy-nii is _soo_ much better than Anija!”

“Pu-” Koga inhales, sending Rei a well-intentioned glare before he focuses back on the road. “Bastard, I’ll get you for that.”

“With all due respect, _try.”_

-

“So, is this like, a date?”

The entrance to the amusement park is well overdone with the theatrics. It puts the renditions of classic paintings done by adolescents at the kindergarten to shame. 

"A date?" Rei looks down to make sure Ritsu's still grabbing his hand, mind running back and forth with the options to let him walk along or just carry him through, with the amount of people that are here. "What makes you say so?"

"I mean," Koga vaguely gestures, as if it's the best way to explain it. They're weaving through excited families and unnecessarily excited young couples and a weirdo here and there before they stop at the aforementioned pole from Kaoru's text. There's no one else here, yet. "Some guy ya met _twice_ asks ya _out_ on a weekend."

"As acquaintances wanting to get to know each other," Rei reasons. 

"Yeah?" Koga's squinting in a particular direction, now. "Why'd he dress up like that, then?"

Rei blinks, before turning to where Koga's looking, and almost stumbles on his feet at the sight.

Kaoru, in tow of a very excited Chiaki running towards them at top speed, looks like he’s just stepped out of a 12-hour-regime from some prestigious salon Rei should know about, _especially_ with the sort of smug expression he carries himself around with. A long, dull yellow plaid coat over a white turtleneck that highlights his warm, brown eyes, jeans and boots definitely more expensive than they look _(or maybe they just look perfect on a guy like him, a very nervous part of Rei’s mind deducts)_ and a couple of rings scattered around on his fingers. His necklace, too, is a silver ring strung on a wire of pearls that doesn’t look anywhere near to whatever someone wears at an amusement park.

Fuck. So much for cuter blondes in Tokyo.

Rei audibly gulps, opting to ignore how Koga and Ritsu perceive his visceral reaction to Kaoru’s casual-wear.

Chiaki’s probably yelling out a greeting, but Rei finds himself slowly walking over to Kaoru in a haze. Koga and Ritsu can entertain him, anyways.

“Hey,” he says, breathlessly. Shoving his hands in his jeans, acting natural. Maybe. Surely.

“Hi, Rei-kun,” Kaoru grins, as if he’s aware of the effect he’s having on him. “I’m glad you could make it.” Peeking ahead, he blinks and turns back to him. “Who’d you bring along? A date?~”

Rei almost blanches. “Oh. no,” he says quickly, laughing it off nervously. “No, that is just -” he points at Koga, who’s standing at a candy-floss stall and making Chiaki hand over some money, “That’s a friend. _Wanko._ From Tokyo.”

“Tokyo,” Kaoru repeats, under his breath. And then he smiles. “Are you going to introduce me?”

Rei hums, putting his hand under his chin thoughtfully, and then smiles back. “What if I want to keep Kaoru-kun all to myself?”

“Tragic,” is the only response he gets, before there’s an arm tugging his and they’re going over to the stall, the kindergarten worker bending down to give Ritsu a pat on the head as soon as he spots him. 

Looking up as soon as he feels Koga’s gaze on him, Kaoru grins and says, “Hi, _Wan-_ chan~”

Koga stares at him with a broadening lust for violence, and then whips his head to Rei. “Can you go one fucking day without being a piece of shit?”

“I believe it’s only polite to greet someone back.”

“Fuck you.”

-

“Kaoru-kun,'' Rei says, when Koga’s picked Ritsu up and gone to the park rides with Chiaki in tow, and they’re left alone by a poorly constructed stage with nothing but their half-dead phones, and a crowded hot-dog stall for company. “I didn’t get to ask who’s performing, did I?”

“I think it’s a local group,” Kaoru says, looking around as if he’d get some sort of answer as such. “Or a solo. HiMERU-kun, maybe?”

“MaM would suit this sort of event more, don’t you think?”

“He’s energetic, for sure,” Kaoru says, “Makes sense.” 

Rei nods, and then leans back against the supporting pole behind them, looking at Kaoru with a smug expression. "Also, weren't you going to go pick up cute girls?" 

Kaoru shakes this off instantly, "And leave Rei-kun alone to cause chaos?" He steps forward to point at a Ferris Wheel amidst the balloons and the clowns and the few Sanrio character costumed people in the crowd, glancing back. "Ritsu-kun's told me about your old man ways, you know?"

"Thinking about locking me up in a boring ride, huh?" Rei says, with a faux groan as he straightens up, beginning to walk towards the blond's direction with a lazy pace. " At least keep me company, then, you fiend."

"Can't force me~" Kaoru responds, albeit jogging up to him and placing his hands on his back as they stroll over. Rei watches this movement, looking away instinctively as they walk. 

One of the Sanrio characters stops them on their way - Rei takes out his phone and forces to get a picture of Kaoru with it, the embarrassed laughing and awkward peace signs now a permanent part of his camera gallery. Kaoru bats at him for his bad picture-taking skills. (Rei thinks he looks fine.)

The Ferris Wheel isn't that crowded, which is more a relief than it is confusing. Getting into the yellow carriage and sitting down opposite each other carefully, it does not take long to realize how cramped it is. 

Not that there's room to complain. The lock clicks in from outside, and Rei looks down to where their knees are touching. 

"Too intimate for you, Kaoru-kun?" 

Kaoru bats him wordlessly. "Bad joke, Sakuma-san." 

"Back to Sakuma-san?" Rei feigns a hurt impression at the same time the ride jerks and starts up, "I quite like _Rei_ in your voice."

Kaoru's a little busy looking out from the window. "Yeah? Look," he interrupts. "I can see Wan-chan."

_Wan-_ chan's seemingly spotted them, too, raising the kid in his arms up and onto his shoulders to point at them. Ritsu's eyes are wide, waving in their direction widely. Rei leans in to wave back, a big smile on his own face. There's a little part of him that wishes he could've brought him up with him, get to...spend time with him. On his own end.

Which shouldn't feel as it does. Rei doesn't want to feel like he's been negligent the entire time he's been back in Japan - has routinely spent time with Ritsu the past few months every afternoon and night, as much as possible, but it persists. The feeling that he's not doing enough.

He isn't, what with the way Kaoru seems to know his little brother more than he does. Noticing that he's stopped waving in the flurry of his thoughts, Rei focuses back on Ritsu.

Ritsu, who's frowning, barely moving his hands, now. There's a warmth on his knee, and Rei traces it back to Kaoru, who's looking at him with a questioning expression.

"You good, Rei-kun?" 

Rei stares for a few seconds, and turns back. Lips stretching in a forced smile, he goes back to waving. Ritsu immediately seems to brighten up. Koga doesn't. (Where is Chiaki?)

"Yeah."

The wheel stops abruptly. Suspended in the air, Kaoru's hand seems to accidentally squeeze his knee, before the man realizes it and whips it away, flustered.

Rei snorts. "Did you get scared?" 

Kaoru looks away defiantly. "Absolutely not." 

Their turn to get off the carriage comes soon enough. Rei ducks his head as he does, turning to offer his hand instinctively.

Kaoru grabs it without one of his usual quips, letting him lead him into hopping down carefully. 

"Such a gentleman," he teases, unprepared for the way Rei grins and takes them away from the coming line of people waiting to get in the ride with their joined hands, only releasing it when they're on a more quieter side of the crowd.

"If you say so," he says, eyes flitting over to find Koga. "Also, where did Morisawa-kun go?" 

"Moricchi?" Kaoru suddenly goes red, putting his face in his palms when Rei looks at him with a well-intentioned, concerned expression. "Oh boy."

Rei squints, and then his expression lights up. "Oh? Was Kaoru-kun planning on going home with a girl?" 

_"Don't say it"_

"What else, then?" Rei doesn't have a better response, too busy holding back an incoming burst of laughs. "I appreciate that you took it upon yourself to look out for this old man, though~ What a martyr~" 

“Shut up,” Kaoru groans, not letting his hands drop even after he shuffles in front of Rei and then steels his feet on the ground before some unbearable urge to run away takes him. “How do I go home?”

“Well, for starters,” Rei begins, effectively letting out as a snort as he pulls out his phone to text Koga their location. “You may entertain the option of _us_ dropping you off.”

“It’s come to that, huh?” Kaoru sighs,hands leaving his face to cross over his chest as he looks at the ground, “And who’s to say you won’t carry me off to dreamland?”

“You invited me here,” Rei deadpans. “Also, Ritsu’s here, y’know?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kaoru grins. “Ritsu-kun will protect me from your clutches.”

“Rude.”

-

Koga isn’t very happy about letting a stranger into his car. If it wasn’t for Ritsu clinging onto Kaoru’s (possibly expensive) coat and whining about how _Puppy-nii’s just as bad as Anija,_ he’d have possibly left the blond on the road for all he cared.

He isn’t happy right now, either, with Kaoru alone in the backseats. He’s leaning forward to make light conversation, but that’s not enough, either.

“I can’t take him on my lap,” Rei reasons, when he’s voiced his sixty-seventh complaint in the fifteen minutes they’ve been driving. “We already have Ritsu on the baby-seat.”

“I could call a cab,” Kaoru offers.

“Fucking please.” “Absolutely not.”

Rei glares at Koga. “You very well know it’s dangerous out on the streets at this time of day.”

Koga glares back. “It’s 6 pm.”

“It’s honestly alri-”

Ritsu smacks Koga on his arm. The silver-haired boy yells in response, and then Ritsu smacks him again. Kaoru stares in absolute amazement. Rei pets his head.

“Kaoru-nii stay,” he says, decidedly. 

Koga, fortunately, has morals against fighting four-year-olds.

-

Substantiating the meaningless arguments, it takes a solid twenty minutes to reach Kaoru’s house. It’s a small, humble place located a few streets further from the Sakuma residence itself, which, Rei’s betraying mind supplies, is a little _convenient,_ Shaking this thought away, he gets out of the passenger seat to jog up and open Kaoru’s door for him, letting him step out before slamming it back closed, Kaoru walks up to the house, and Rei crosses his arms over the car to watch him go.

It’s not meant to be a long farewell or anything, obviously, but then Kaoru turns from where he’s just stood up from crouching near a doormat and smiles. At him. And maybe it’s the residue from a day well spent collecting in his mind or maybe it’s just because he hasn’t kissed someone since England over an year ago but Rei’s heart seems to flutter in his chest.

Waving at him goes on for a solid minute, with the way Kaoru takes his time closing the door behind him and then runs to open the window right beside it, leaning out of it to watch them go,

“Thanks,” he yells. “You too, Koga-kun.”

Koga hmphs, turning his gaze away. 

“Ill see you on Monday, Ritsu-kun!”

Ritsu topples out of the car at full speed at his name, prompting Rei to pull him up into his arms and over the car. “Yeah!!”

Kaoru laughs. He’s still waving by the time Rei finds the energy to squeeze himself back in the car and listen to Koga put it in drive as it rolls away, and the house disappears behind them. Kaoru’s laughing figure included. 

Rei wonders if it really is England that could very well describe the subtle emptiness in his chest as his own house comes into view some several minutes later.

-

“This is gonna be a weekly thing?”

Rei places a block on top of the little tower Ritsu’s building with his lego, trying to get it to hold still as he glances over to his mom. “Yes. Of course.”

“And you’re not gonna run off to some remote country in the middle of it?”

Ritsu hands him another block in practiced concentration. “No, I promise,” he mumbles, placing it on top. It’s as tall as his brother, now, and Rei changes position to sit on his knees to accommodate. Ritsu hands him another block, eyes glowing with a strange sort of excitement at the tower being at his height. “This isn't the second year of highschool, anymore.”

Looking up, he flashes her a confident grin. “I’m okay.”

His mother sighs. Sitting down next to him, Ritsu starts handing her the blocks instead of handing them straight to Rei. She passes them on to him, and he continues stacking with a well-found patience in this sort of game. “I’m glad, then.” Gazing at her youngest son, “Ritsu is too.”

There’s a small knock on the living room walls, and Koga comes in with the sense of casual familiarity every childhood friend is prone to in the house. He’s carrying four small boxed ice-creams on a plate, and four little spoons as company before settling down on the wooden floor and placing it in the middle. Ritsu abruptly stops in his block-passing to jump at the cranberry-flavored one, stealing it before anyone else can get their sights on it and running away to jump over the couch. 

Rei ends up taking chocolate. Rei’s mother lemon, and Koga the last one remaining: vanilla. He scrunches his nose up at it but eats it anyways, staring at the tower they’ve been constructing for the past tens of minutes with a confused expression.

“Did yer lil’ bro do this?”

“Yup!’ Ritsu yells from the couch, despite his mouth being full. “Puppy-nii should praise me, praise me~”

“Ya brat,” Koga says, albeit fondly. “Yeah, ‘kay. Ya did good, Ricchi.”

Ritsu nods, seemingly satisfied, before going back to his dessert.

“In any case,” his mom interrupts, with a clap of her hand. She’s quick to finish her own, having had set the box back already as she leans in towards the tower. “How did today go?”

“Your son’s wooin’ some new blond, again,” Koga answers, unprompted. 

Mrs. Sakuma gasps, and turns to Rei with what has potential for a furious expression, except it’s distorted with disbelief. “Was _Tenshouin_ not enough for you?!”

“Mother,” Rei says, exasperatedly, ignoring the _Tenshouin_ part. “I’m not _wooing_ him, okay? He’s Ritsu’s teacher, anyways.”

She visibly softens at this. “Oh, that Hakaze boy?”

Rei nods.

“Oh. You can bring him home, then.”

“Mother.”

-

**kaoru-kun:** _Have a safe ride back~ hopefully it won’t be more exciting than whatever went on the ferris wheel…_

Rei snorts. It’s 6 AM on the dot, and he’s just rolled over on his bed to grab his phone to read the time. They’re supposed to leave back for Tokyo at 7, the way Koga’s deeply asleep on the air mattress beside his bed doing nothing to support this fact. 

He looks back at the text. Wonders how they’d clicked so quickly, so unnaturally quick. It doesn’t help that they know odd facts about each other through a four-year-old - their ultimate connection - and it doesn’t help more-so that Kaoru looks the way he does. Angelic, warm, so utterly...lovely. Question mark? Question mark?

Rei wants to shove his face back into the pillows, the faint hint of red flushing into his cheeks nothing if not an omen for disaster. Instead, he copes by getting up, picking out one of his older black t-shirts and trousers befit a summer day flirting with the winter season, and stumbling into the warm shower.

-

Tokyo is colder. Cold enough to pull on one of his thinner sweaters as soon as he steps inside the guest room, Leon padding through behind him with his tail waving in excitement.

“Hey there,” Rei says to him, kneeling down for a minute to pat his head. Leon has other plans, though, taking the chance to leap over and punt Rei to the ground in his goal to be affectionate before Koga has to skip over and pick him up before he cuts the black-haired man’s breathing off.

“C’mon, Adonis made some hot chocolate,” Koga says, trying to get his excited dog in control with one arm as he holds out the other for Rei. Taking this invitation, Rei lets himself be hauled up (with the sort of force that has potential to send someone back onto the floor, face-front, again) and walks out after his temporary roommate without a word. 

The cups are already set at the table. Rei reaches out for one and sends a grateful look to Adonis before settling on the couch, head leaning back on the plush cushions as he takes his first sip and looks out of the living room windows with half-lidded eyes. It’s only barely past 1 PM, and maybe this is because of subtle winter fog or Leon’s small body warm against his thigh as Koga sits him down next to him but Rei thinks he can fall asleep right here, right now. Again. And possibly just go around waking up the next day.

Except he can’t, nor will he have this choice for a while. But he’s 22. And he’ll manage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> geheehehe

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reaaading! stay tuned for more updates whenever


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